People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 June 1895 — Circular No. 2. [ARTICLE]

Circular No. 2.

All the committees of the People’s party have been called upon five times by the national committee to “organize the legion in every voting precinct in the land.” The Reform press, at the largest meeting they ever held, on Feb. 22, indorsed the legion and pledged their support. There should be no further delay in organization, no toleration of sideshows. Whatever non-partisan orders we may belong to, we should all join the legion for partisan work. It stands on the Omaha platform, and each member must take a pledge to maintain and defend it. There is absolute need of this, for the men who mean to switch our party are openly boasting that they will control the convention of 1896, and are setting up their plans in every state to do it. We cannot hope to gain the four million votes we need unless we are thoroughly organized, and if we had a legion in every precinct we could guard the ballot box, force an honest count, and combine all the energy of all our people in superb missionary work. Our committees are too slow. They will wait until we are dead. While we have many zealous members the great mass of them are not doing efficient work. Many jmve good reasons. They are true and loyal almost to a man, but not active; they are sentinels on the outpost. A > holy trust has been con-' sided to them and they should either do their duty or give place to men who can and will. They number a mighty army, and should be on the alert, but how few respond to the calls we make, and yet we depend on them to organize or recommend live recruiting officers to do so. We need wide-awake and zealous men, and every county, city and town committee ought to meet in the next thirty days and put such men on guard. I would urge this as a matter of vital importance, and observe the maxim, “Old men for council and young men for war” to a certain extent. A live army must have mighty men of war. If we wait until we put in a crop we will wait until after harvest. If we wait until harvest is over and summer ended it will be too late. We must organize in every state in 1895. If we slumber on we deserve to be trampled under foot. We have submitted tamely to a hundred times the indignities from Great Britain that were heaped on our fathers. I would keep every foreign influence off of American soil and scourge foreign governments from every island near our shores, and yet because we are an unorganized army, we cannot even capture and hold a state. Our people contribute thousands to orders that do our cause no earthly good and let every worker starve. If all the members of our committees would act, we could have ten thousand legions in sixty .days. They can organize at home and send names here for charter without delay. Then recommend live, wide-awake men and worn-

en In every county and town for active we cannot furnish them free and pay pastage too.- People’s Party clubs should send for charters with names of officers and members and 20 cents, and thus become a part of the great national army, whose legions are farming in line from ocean to ocean. Let the rank and file, the noble, zealous men and women wake up their committees, until they put their whole vigor in the work. They need the live support of all dur people. Many cannot work because you do not give them the means. We want one thousand brave, faithful, unselfish, loyal men and women to go out into the field as legion scouts, to organize, sell books, take subscriptions, distribute papers and hurry the glad tidings to all oppressed people that the millions are waking up. Write for plan, inclosing stamp. We must have money for postage, printing and clerical work, but we will not beg and beseech the people, who expect everybody to work for nothing, pay expenses end board themselves. Therefore we have decided to issue a certificate of merKsership in th legion and People’s party, handsomely gotten up, suitable for framing and preserving in the family, at the low price of |l. With it we will send Kansas City address, with picture of commander, case for bimetallism and a legion button. Every dollar of this money will be used to organize the People’s party. In order to pay expense of printing these certificates in quantity we want one hundred orders before May 1, and to the above will give in addition Senator Peffer’s great report. Any person sending in five orders will be given a certificate free. We can save liberty and bring back prosperity if we band together in one mighty army all who believe in our principles in 1895. We dare not wait until ’96. Delay will postpone the victory and give the enemy time to rivet the fetters stronger. They have now captured the citadel and the Supreme court has announced the surrender, and the Goddess of Liberty* and Uncle Sam have fled from the capital of the nation. PAUL VAN DERVOORT.